“Jonas Mekas’s films celebrate life. They rise up against the world’s overwhelming commercialism, attempting instead to revive the pleasures of friendship, a first snowfall or the return of Spring. Mekas’s genius stems from his generously including the viewer in his vision of the world, allowing us to (re)discover, in a simple image, the incredible force and necessity of poetry.” – Yann Beauvais
A year after his passing, the Lithuanian Culture Institute and Close-Up remember the great Jonas Mekas. Born in Lithuania in 1922, Mekas was a poet and hero of the American counter-culture and invented the diary form of filmmaking. This programme presents his first diary film, Walden, alongside the rarely screened epic As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty – both projected from 16mm prints.
Many thanks to Justė Kostikovaitė, (Cultural Attaché, Lithuanian Embassy UK), Pip Chodorov & Jim Stickel (Re:Voir), and Carsten Zimmer (Arsenal Berlin) for making this programme possible.
For screening times please have a look here.
